Sinful indulgence, pork division

I encountered a wonderful appetizer at Vin Santo in Latham Farms this evening: pork belly tempura.

That’s right — battered and deep-fried bacon. (Well, uncured bacon, aka pork belly, but you get the point.) Good heavens, is it ever tasty. It’s calorically indefensible on any level, probably as fattening as a pound of butter and it sounds a little suspect, but the dish is worth busting a diet for. Chef Chris Sisinni braises the pork belly, slices it into strips, hits them with a light batter, fries until crisp and serves with a guacamole-ish avocado puree for dipping and some roasted mushrooms.

I hadn’t been to Vin Santo for months, and was delighted by a couple of small meals at the bar recently. The menu is interesting, the tapas-size portions encourage trying a variety, and I continue to be impressed by the varied and modestly priced list of wines by the glass.